Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jubail and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,100 in Jubail, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Jubail
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Jubail Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jubail

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,100

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jubail and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jubail and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,100 per month in Jubail vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jubail $1,100
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Jubail vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jubail $1,720
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,339 per month in Jubail vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jubail $2,339
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jubail costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Jubail and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jubail 19% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 SAR 25.60

$2.24 ฿75.5

204.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.32 SAR 148

$19.00 ฿640

106.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 SAR 34.03

$5.55 ฿187

63.42%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

Cappuccino

$3.99 SAR 14.97

$1.67 ฿56.4

138.92%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 SAR 3.74

$0.64 ฿21.51

56.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$0.31 ฿10.29

-9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 SAR 5.61

$1.95 ฿65.7

-23.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 SAR 5.45

$1.44 ฿48.41

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

$1.33 ฿44.97

21.80%

Eggs

$2.06 SAR 7.74

$2.28 ฿77.0

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.82 SAR 36.85

$16.45 ฿554

-40.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.16

$2.78 ฿93.8

131.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 SAR 45.57

$9.31 ฿314

30.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.39

$2.35 ฿79.3

-4.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$0.97 ฿32.75

81.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

$1.60 ฿53.8

-2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 SAR 6.34

$1.50 ฿50.6

12.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

$1.28 ฿43.06

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 SAR 5.25

$1.10 ฿37.14

27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

$0.71 ฿23.79

146.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.04

$0.49 ฿16.34

10.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.27

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.21

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 SAR 24.90

$4.14 ฿140

60.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

$0.87 ฿29.27

50.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.90 SAR 89.7

$54.1 ฿1,823

-55.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.25 SAR 12.21

$1.16 ฿39.00

180.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 SAR 10.27

$0.53 ฿17.78

416.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$2.42 ฿81.6

459.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.45 ฿48.82

-57.93%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K SAR 100.5K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

27.19%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-19.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$80.1 SAR 301

$62.2 ฿2,095

28.87%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.36 SAR 103

$12.17 ฿410

124.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 SAR 248

$20.12 ฿678

228.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$104 SAR 391

$37.31 ฿1,257

179.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.93 SAR 150

$3.77 ฿127

959.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 SAR 50.9

$6.49 ฿219

109.24%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$178 SAR 667

$736 ฿24.8K

-75.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,690 SAR 28.8K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-47.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.14 SAR 158

$53.4 ฿1,799

-21.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.3 SAR 222

$24.64 ฿830

140.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.1 SAR 300

$91.5 ฿3,083

-12.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.6 SAR 325

$71.9 ฿2,424

20.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 SAR 1,591

$482 ฿16.3K

-12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 SAR 1,105

$309 ฿10.4K

-4.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$667 SAR 2,502

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-33.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 SAR 1,950

$633 ฿21.3K

-17.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,743 SAR 10.3K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

16.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,396 SAR 5,238

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-12.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,605 SAR 6,021

$590 ฿19.9K

172.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.62

5.57

0.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Jubail

$295 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 4.9% $14

Groceries & Markets

Jubail

$199 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jubail

$174 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.6% $79

Eating Out

Jubail

$135 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 42.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Jubail

$131 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 61.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Jubail

$121 11%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.9% $12

Getting Around

Jubail

$46 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Jubail versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Jubail are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Jubail versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $199 in Jubail vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Jubail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jubail

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

4 h ahead of Jubail

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,778

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jubail Chiang Mai 5,100 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Jubail
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Jubail vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jubail costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,650 per month in Jubail and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jubail, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $178 per month in Jubail and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Jubail – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,100 in Jubail and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,100 in Jubail. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jubail makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.